Tagged: handmade soap

Checkout my guest blog post at Fashion Food Flair, where I show you how to make your own loaf of Peppermint Avocado Soap. Each bar of soap contains real Peppermint Essential Oil and Avocado Oil. It’s perfect if you’re looking to make a stocking stuffer that everyone will love. Head on over to Fashion Food Flair and checkout the full tutorial!

Nothing gets me more excited than making huge batches of handmade soap. This slab of Country Kitchen beer soap weighed in at 11lbs and I loved every minute of making it. I say minute because holy moly it set up fast. If you make handmade soaps you know that some fragrance or essential oils tend to bring on a faster trace. Of course I decided to use a fast tracing fragrance oil blend + a discounted water recipe. The combination of the two meant that I had only a few minutes before the whole thing setup. I really have no idea what I was thinking… lol. I mixed, separated the colors, mixed again, then started to plop the soap into the mold like a madwoman. Good thing I was still able to do a little design inside and on top.

What exactly is beer soap? Well every soap recipe needs a liquid to dilute the sodium hydroxide (lye). Even though most of the time that liquid is distilled water, you could essentially use any type liquid. Beer, wine, milk, juice, tea, are all great alternatives. Each liquid adds a slightly different quality to the soap. Not to mention that it’s just plain fun to use a soap made with beer :D This batch is made with 100% beer and not a single drop of added water. Unfortunately you won’t get drunk from using the soap, but beer tends to make the soap a little more bubbly due to the sugars.

Here is a loaf of unscented, uncolored, Carrot and Calendula Bastille Soap I made a week ago. This was made with 100% pure organic carrots I pureed in place of water, and topped with calendula petals that stay nice and orange. Bastille soap is made with a high amount of olive oil. Many people say that in order for a soap to be called Bastille, it’s has to be made with over 50% olive oil and others say over 70%. Castile soap on the other hand is made with 100% olive oil. I love castile soap, but sometimes it’s a bit slippery and does not last very long in the shower. When other oils are added, such as Palm, Coconut, and Caster, the soap’s lather is bubblier and lasts longer in the shower.

Even though I laid the soap on its side, the wires still ended up dragging the calendula petals through the soap. Next time I’ll cut soap with lots of toppings with a knife instead.

Here are my Countryside Kitchen Soap Cupcakes. A few days ago I decided to try a triple color swirl with soap. I’ve swirled multiple colors on real cupcakes before, but I was worried that it would be difficult in soap because of the texture difference. It really does take a bit of getting used to the texture. I’ll definitely need to whip up a few more (*crossing fingers) batches until I’m comfortable with the technique.

The scent I used was a blend of cinnamon, clove, peppermint, and a touch of orange. I love that it’s spicy and tingly. It’s a great holiday scent.

Hi it's Jen! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog :) I live in Southern California and love to travel, cook, make candles, handmade soaps, and anything DIY. If you're into any of those things, stick around :D

Follow me on Instagram

Find me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

My Pins on Pinterest

Blackberries and Cream Loofah Soap ($7) is perfect for the summer. It is the scent of the juiciest and ripest blackberries with a dollop of cream. The loofah will help you exfoliate since summer is the season for shorts and sandals! #handmadesoap #summerfavorites #fruitsoap #exfoliating #prettyandperky

Easy One Pot Lasagna Soup tastes just like lasagna without all the layering or dishes! Simply brown your beef and dump in all ingredients and simmer away!

I'm really loving this gold detail at the base of the nail. My nail polish always chips so this would probably extend the life of the look! #nailpolishideas #goldnailpolish #simplenailpolishlook